Reflections of the Past
by tamahome no miko
Summary: We all know that Mitsukake lost his only true love, Shoka, to an deadly illness before he appears in the series. How did they meet? This is my idea of what could have happened. Please R/R! Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

I wrote this fic while I was listening to the song "He Went to Paris" by Jimmy Buffet. These lyrics always give me goose bumps and bring tears to my eyes. I would like to use them as an introduction to this fiction.  
  
He went to Paris, looking for answers to questions that bothered him so  
He was impressive, young and aggressive, saving the world on his own  
The warm summer breezes and French wines and cheeses  
Put his ambitions at bay  
Summers and winters, scattered like splinters and four or five years   
Slipped away  
  
He went to England, played the piano and married an actress named Kim  
They had a fine life; she was a good wife and bore him a young son named Jim  
And all of the answers and all of the questions  
He locked in his attic one day  
Cause he liked the quiet, clean country living  
And twenty more years slipped away  
  
Well the war took his baby; bombs killed his lady and left him with only one eye  
His body was battered, his whole word was shattered, and all he could do was just cry  
And as the tears were 'a falling, he was recalling, answers he never found  
So he hopped on a freighter, skidded the ocean and left England without a sound  
  
Now he lives in the islands  
Fishes the pilings   
And drinks his green label each day  
Writing his memoirs, losing his hearing, but he don't care what most people say  
After eighty-six years of perpetual motion, if he likes you he'll smile and he'll say  
"Well some of its magic, some of its tragic but I had a good life all the way"  
He went to Paris looking for answers to questions  
That bothered him so  
  
**On to the fiction! This is my idea of how Mitsukake met Shoka. This occurs about a week after the flood that killed his family (and Chichiri's family and fiancé) came through the area. Enjoy Minna! **   
  
He walked through the city, his stomach making small churning noises because of the fact that he hadn't eaten for two days. He diddnt mind the fact that everyone was looking at him, he had gotten used to it after awhile. Finally, he spotted a sign for an inn. "Thank Suzaku" he muttered under his breath as he walked into the tavern. It smelled of alcohol. Too many men drinking too much sake. It diddnt bother him as much as it used to, but it irritated him enough that he asked for the table farthest away from the men.   
After he had taken his seat, a girl who looked only a few months younger than himself took his order. All he wanted was some tea and a little bread, which was all he could afford if he wanted a room that night. The young woman was breathtaking. She had long, dirty blonde hair that fell down around her waist, and her only flaws were two dark circles around each of her eyes from staying up working. She nodded, gave him a small smile, and went back to tend to the large crowd of drunken men.   
"Hey honey, why don't you bring some more sake over here for me" he heard a man yell at her. He flinched. One of the things that bothered him the most was when women were treated with such a lack of respect. He watched as she brought him and his friends more to drink, and hesitantly reached around them to pick up their empty glasses. The man who had requested the drink put his arm around her until his hand reached the small of her back. The girl jumped, and tried unsuccessfully to escape from his grasp. He brought his hands up and slapped her across the face. As she struggled to get away, the man and his friends jumped her.  
Without thinking, he jumped up and ran to the girl's assistance. By this time her shirt was ripped in several places, and he saw blood in a few of them. "How dare you!" he yelled as he sent the man flying across the room. He diddnt like to show off his excessive strength, but this was an exception. As he had expected, the man's friends attempted to best him as well, but he knocked them off as if they were flies.   
After the men had run out of the bar, he looked to the woman. She was barely conscious, for one of the men had beaten her when she tried to escape him. He picked her up and turned to another waitress. "Is there a room where I can treat her?" he asked, looking at her wounds. The woman nodded and hesitantly took him back to what appeared to be the injured girls quarters. He laid her down on the bed and took his medicine satchel off him back.  
Most of her cuts weren't deep, but there was one on her arm that needed a few stitches. At this point, she was fast asleep, which probably worked out for the best. He numbed the area as best as he could with an herb, which diddnt help a great deal, then proceeded to sew up the cut. After she was bandaged and had been given a painkiller, he went to pay for a room.   
"Excuse me miss, I would like to have a room here please." He asked the woman standing outside of the room. "Oh yes, of course" she said, leading him around the corner. "Thank you so much for helping miss Shoka, I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't been here" He sighed. "Not a problem. I'm just glad her injuries are not severe." She opened the door to a large room. "Here you are sir, the best room we have." "Oh, but I couldn't possibly afford..." he started. "Nonsense, I couldn't imagine taking your money after what you did for us." He smiled, thankful for the gratitude, and walked into the room.  
It was nicer than anywhere he had stayed in a long time, and he was grateful for a place to work for a night. After lighting a fire in the small fireplace, he sat down at the table and began mixing some herbs to be put on the girl's cuts the next day. As usual, he became fascinated with the medicines and worked well into the night making different concoctions. He slept soundly in the inn, it was warm and cozy and he diddnt have to worry about wild animals, bandits... or floods.  
He awoke the next morning to the cheerful sound of singing in his room. Looking around, he saw the young woman, Miss Shoka they had called her, dusting the table. He mentally slapped himself for oversleeping, and rose out of the bed. Shoka jumped when she heard the movement behind her and automatically turned around. She vaguely remembered the man from the previous night, and shuddered at the visions she had when she thought of it  
She bowed deeply. "I don't think that I can find words enough to thank you for saving my life." She said in her charming voice, "And also for treating my wounds. I brought you breakfast, and if there is anything else I could get you I would be more than happy to but if you need anything else, please just ask me." He was completely surprised by her appearance, seeing that she had been injured fairly badly the previous night. "It was my pleasure Miss, but you should be in bed today. You don't want your cuts getting infected do you?" he asked her.  
She sighed. "No I suppose not, but I couldn't stay in bed the entire day, we're busy" "The least you could do is let me put some ointment on your cuts" he said. She nodded and sat down in one of the chairs at the table where his medicines were laid out from the night before. As he tended to the smaller cuts and bruises, she started a conversation. "My name is Shoka, thank you again for saving me" He looked up at her. "Not a problem. I am Mayo Juan. How did a girl like you end up in a place like this anyways Miss Shoka?"   
Looking down at hr feet, she replied, "My entire family was killed in the flood about a week ago. This is the only way I could support myself, other than... well.." she blushed. He nodded. "My family was killed in the same flood. I am now a wandering doctor, helping those who are in need for shelter and food." He gingerly touched her arm, but she shied away. The cut was obviously deeper than he had thought- the stitches had fallen out in the night.   
He diddnt want to hurt her. The only way he knew to do this besides useless numbing herbs was... he hadn't tried it in at least a year, but... Slowly, he started to unwrap the bandage on his hand. Shoka looked, and was surprised to see absolutely nothing wrong with the bandaged hand. He moved it closer to her arm, and she prepared for pain. Amazingly, the only thing she felt was warmth. It was a wonderful sensation. Wondering what herb he was using, she turned around- to see him holding his hand out to her arm, and on the hand... was a symbol....  
  



	2. Chapter 2

            She looked closer; to make sure her mind wasn't telling her things.  It was still there… she knew what it was, a mark of Suzaku… that meant that Mayo Juan was a Suzaku Warrior. He put his hand down and proceeded to wrap it back up. He hadn't used his powers for a long time- always thinking that it was better if he kept them concealed. "Thank you" she murmured, looking him in the eye for the first time. 

            "Not a problem" he said, giving her a smile, "Well, I must be off now… I must find another shelter for the evening" He started to get up but she stopped him. "No, don't go yet… I already arranged for you to use this room another night!" she exclaimed. "…Miss… I… thank you, but you don't have too do this for me" he said. "Think of it as my way of thanking you" she replied, smiling at him, "And please, just call me Shoka."

            She went downstairs to work, but found that she had been given the day off, just incase the men were to return. She walked up the stairs to her room, which was down the hall and to the left of Mayo Juan's room. As she passed his room, she thought she smelled herbal tea, like the kind her mother used to make for her when she had a hard day.

            He looked out of his room to see Shoka standing there. "Please, won't you join me for tea?" he asked her. She nodded and entered the room. He handed her a cup and saucer and motioned for her to sit. She did so, and then looked around the table at the various herbs he had used to make the tea. The smell from the cup reached her nose, and sent her into a series of painful memories…

            _"Mother, will you make me some tea?" the young girl asked, looking helplessly at her mother. "Of course dear, sit down and tell mama about your day." She replied. "It was awful Mother! The other children teased me! They told me I was strange because I preferred reading instead of playing ball! They told me I could never be normal!" she exclaimed. "Oh Shoka, don't let their comments bother you. Someday you will be the one successful and they will work in hovels by the river, and I will say, 'look at Shoka, how she turned out to be even though she was different as a child'."_

Tears welled up in her eyes, as she sipped the tea. She had not expected that little trip down memory lane. Most of her childhood companions were dead- killed in the flood, along with her mother, father, and siblings. Now she was the one working in the hovel serving sake to men off the street. Mitsukake looked into her eyes, which were staring off into space…

            _She walked into the house, face glued to the floor. Her eyes were stained with tears. As she placed her bag on the floor, she heard her father's voice. "Daughter, you have caused our family great shame." "Father, I diddnt mean to-" SMACK! The echo of his palm on her face could be heard throughout the house. She collapsed onto the floor as tears silently fell from her eyes. "Who the HELL do you think you are? GET UP!!" he yelled, walking to the fireplace. He was confused on how to punish her, and in his fury he grabbed the end of a log from the fire and used all of his strength to hurl it at her shoulder. She collapsed again, this time out cold. He stormed out of the house, and her mother ran into the room. "SHOKA!!" she yelled, "Oh Suzaku!  What happened!?!" She pushed the log over and held her daughter in her arms. Although her father eventually overcame his anger, he never forgave her… _

            She snapped out of her memory, tears rolling down her cheeks, and looked up at the doctor. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice sounding sincere. She nodded, "Yes. I'm sorry; I was reminded of some things that happened in the past. Forgive me for being so rude." He sighed, "No, I understand completely, I too have constant memories of my family." She wiped her eyes and straightened her skirt. 

"I really must be going, I am expected back in my room" she murmured, attempting to stand. Her condition got the best of her, however, and she couldn't hold her own miniscule weight. Mayo Juan quickly got to his feet and caught her softly, not wanting to open any cuts. "You should be careful not to move very quickly" he whispered, bringing her to her feet. Her eyes flickered open, and she felt two strong arms holding her up. She blushed when she realized who it was. "I… I'm sorry" she said wearily, attempting to stand on her own. 

When the doctor realized that she could not, he picked her up gently and walked out into the hall. "Forgive me, but you are in no condition to walk, Miss Shoka. Allow me to get you to your room." She nodded and smiled weakly, expressing her gratitude without saying a word. He softly set her down on her bed, and gave instructions to her roommate on which herbs to give her the next morning. "Please give her this" he directed the woman, and handed her a piece of paper. With that, he was gone. 


End file.
